My son will be 2 in December. For the most part he is a sweet, happy boy who rolls with the punches and aside from Tigger and Piglet to bed with him doesn't have any 'vices'...like a pacifier.
Except that when he gets tired or hungry he often still asks for a bottle. Bottle, bottle....Soemtimes we are successful at distracting him and once he's eaten or whatever he forgets about it and is fine. There are times however he has a one track mind and just won't stop asking/crying/whining for a bottle. If we give in we give him 2-4 oz, he drinks it and is done and usually so is the trauma.
My question is-I know that 'they' say toddlers his age should not be having a bottle anymore, but it's only an occasional thing and he doesn't carry it around like a security thing-more like he just really likes the taste from a bottle, (can be milk or water), and then he's done. So-is it a big deal?
We are having baby #2 in February and I anticipate things ramping up because of jealousy, etc-so really is this a battle worth fighting or should we just give in on the occasions it happens and fight bigger battles?
Buy a water bottle with a built in straw and make a big deal about his "new" bottle. It should only be water (not milk or juice) if he will sips it for a while. He can use that type of "bottle" for years!
First...I don't see anything wrong with it. He is only two...he is not demanding it all the time...I wouldn't worry!!!
I would (as other posters suggested) put water in the bottle instead of milk. If he looks at you funny just tell him "Milk only comes in big-kid cups now. If you want milk you will need to drink it out of a big kid cup."
Second...try using a fancy cup instead. Are there any characters he loves? Maybe when he asks for a bottle you could distract him with a really cool cup. Or use a straw. Or daddy's favorite mug... Just a thought.
I don't know if this would help, but it might be worth a try. When you give him the bottle, each time give him less to drink...until the bottle "doesn't hold any more". Or cutting the nipple so it doesn't act like a bottle, maybe he won't like that it doesn't work anymore, and then give it up. One last thought is to creatively use the holidays as a way to give it up. If you celebrate Christmas with Santa, for example...maybe leave the bottles out for Santa to take for other babies, in exchange for his big boy presents. And then in his stocking Santa can leave him some big boy cups. If weaning him from the occasional bottle is what you're hoping to do, I'm sure you'll find something that will work for you. Be patient, and keep trying. Good luck!
In my opinion, I think you should get rid of it NOW! Once the baby comes, (if you don't strictly breastfeed), he may become MORE attatched to the bottle because the baby gets one too. Just my thought. Good luck.
A couple things come to mind...one of the big reasons they say to get rid of the bottle is teeth reasons, so I would, at the minimum, stop giving him milk in the bottle. It sounds like he's fine developmentally--my boy turned two a month ago and is exclusively on cups (but he has a big brother, and is much farther along, with cups, than big brother was), so if your son is not willing to take a sippy and start taking a cup occasionally, I would be very concerned about that--but it sounds like that's not an issue. Finally, I would strongly consider the impact of the baby. Are you going to use bottles at all w/ baby? Will you want separate bottles for each child? Will it be all the harder to wean him from the bottle once there's a baby getting more attention? On the other hand, once he sees BABY uses bottle, maybe it'll be easier! Anyway--I don't see a problem letting him have water once a day from a bottle, unless any of these other issues seem relevant to you.
If he is only wanting it a few times when he is really cranky or tired then it isn't the bottle he wants but the security of when he was more dependent on you, the bottle is what he is reaching for. My suggestion would be let him have a couple ounces once a day at the most but do it only when you are able to cuddle him. After a few days of that, try cuddling without the bottle and if nessessary get rid of the bottles and tell him you don't have one anymore because there is no baby in the house. Get him use to the cuddling without it first though. Also if you tell him no stick to it even through the fits or you will teach him to outlast you with fits when he wants something you say no too. Tell him with sympathy "sorry" and try to hold him or distract him but don't give in. If you are afraid you will give in, give it to him without saying no first. It really will save you a lot of whining and crying later.
Imagine you are the toddler. What would you want your parents to do?
I have that problem now also. My son usually gets one at night before bed. he'll ask for one during the day, but I won't give him one. It's tough trying to get them to go without them. Good luck to you.
When he asks for a bottle give him a sippy cup- keep doing that maybe he will associate. My 18 month old asks for a bottle (she means her sippy). She screams baba when she is thirsty and doesn't give in until she gets a drink. Could this be the case with yours?
This isn't such a big deal. Why not let him have his bottle with some water in it till after the baby is born? It will only affect his teeth if there is still residue of milk in his mouth when he falls asleep. We got our adopted daughter just before she was two and continued to give her a bottle every night before bed till she was three. We needed to bond with her, and she still took a bottle anyway when we got her. Cavity-wise her teeth are great. Misaligned teeth are heredity and are not affected by thumb sucking, paci's or bottles. Nearly every kid has braces these days. I sucked my thumb till I was about 8 and have straight teeth - no braces.
When a baby is born, older children typically regress. They might crawl, want a bottle, or want a diaper (for those old enough to have already been potty trained). This regression doesn't usually last too long. You have several options. You could wait until several months after the baby is born and try to remove the bottle then (also hoping that he will be tired of it by then) or you could get rid of it now and when the baby comes stay firm about not giving it to him. If you decided to remove it now, you could try sippy cups or cups with straws. Sometimes it is the act of sucking on the bottle that is soothing and if that's the case then a straw or a sippy might be enough for him. It will likely be stressful no matter when you do it. If you're going to do it before the baby comes then I'd do it now because then he will go without seeing a bottle for several months. If you are comfortable waiting, then you can get rid of it several months after the baby is born but he'll be giving up his bottle while the baby will get to keep his/hers so keep that in mind when you make your decision. Best of luck either way :)
I think you should let your 2yo have the bottle. This is the age when they want to exert control so why not let him choose the bottle....for now. When the baby is born and he sees he/she taking a bottle or the nipple, he will want to be the 'big' brother and won't want the bottle anymore. He may even change his mind before then!
I like your expression 'they'. Do you sometimes wonder, like I do, how 'their' children turned out? I feel I need to know that so I can decide whether to follow 'their' advice. I would say you have a very good perspective on this. You know that your goal is to get him off of his bottle, so you distract him when possible to avoid giving it to him when he might not really need it. But you are sensing that there are other times when his actions show that he might actually need it now. I think that there is nothing wrong with him still being in the process of weaning at this age. He is actually moving away from it (but don't be surprised if he gets "stuck" for a while in that progress), and the day that he no longer needs it at all will be the perfect age for him.
Let him have the bottle when he "needs" it. It won't hurt him, and with a new baby on the way it can only help. I don't think it's a big deal, you should do what works for you. Kids are forced to grow up so fast!
Unfortunately, it can be bad for their teeth. Have you tried substituting those Nuby sippy cups with the soft tops? That was a great transition for my kids as it's still soft on top like a bottle, but shaped like a sippy cup. Changing anything with a two year old can be a challenge.
Good luck!
J.
mom to Emma & Devon (6) and Ethan (2)
It's a tough call. Most pediatricians say to get rid of the bottle at age 1. My son had a nighttime bottle until he was 2 or 3 without any long term problems (he is now 13). I will say that the older they get the harder it can be to get rid of it. What ultimately worked for us was the "bottle fairy." We packed up all of the bottles into a shoe box and left it out for the "bottle fairy" to pick up. In its place the next morning the bottle fairy left a new engine for his Thomas the Train set. I suppose one advantage was the he was old enough to appreciate the "bottle fairy!" Good luck.
I would say not to give him the bottle. It's a power-struggle thing. But that is my feeling. I would say though that if he really keeps wanting his bottle, you need to make sure that you buy different bottles for the baby so he doesn't cry for them more when he sees them around all the time. I had 2 babies close together, and this really helped! It's tough picking battles w/ 2 year olds...I currently have a very strong-willed 2 year old and some days the battles are tough...hang in there. :)
My daughter had a bottle of milk once or twice a day until she was three. I don't believe it is a big deal at all. Her teeth are perfectly healthy and straight. When she was turning three I told her that 3 year-olds didn't need bottles anymore and she agreed, and that was that.
